Seeker of the Blue Keys
by Gravity-Chan
Summary: One month after returning from Tenrou Island, Lucy is given a box containing a special Celestial Spirit Key. A long-buried secret from her mother's past is unearthed and Lucy is thrown into a world she would never have dreamed of. With the fate of her new-found friends on her shoulders, Lucy embarks on a quest to save the Celestial World. (Takes place after the Tenrou Arc)
1. Layla's Secret

**Yay, another new story! I decided to stop The Darkness Inside Us All because people didn't seem interested and I wasn't very motivated with it anyway. I came up with this story while looking at my horoscope on my phone and over the last week or so have developed a plotline for it. I hope you guys like it. This is a long first chapter, only because there's a lot of things to explain, so don't be expecting long chapters all the time. Sorry, I'm not that motivated (; Well then, without further adieu, my newest story, Seeker of the Blue Keys!**

**p.s. Shout-outs to people who review/favorite/follow!**

* * *

Lucy hugged the pillow to her chest, digging her fingertips into the soft material. She clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tight, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. It had been two months since her father, Jude, passed away, half a month since she had returned from her seven year exile on Tenrou Island. Her cheeks were already lined with stains from the paths of tears already shed, and she determined to pull herself together.

Sitting up, Lucy managed to get a grip on her emotions and calm down. She sighed heavily and replaced the pillow where it belonged, at the top of her bed. She stood up and walked the few feet to her kitchen to make some breakfast. Her apartment may be small, but that'd how she liked it. She was about to start making some eggs when there was a knock on her front door. Frowning, she made her way over to the door and opened it a crack.

"Who is it?" she asked, not recognizing the man at her door.

The man tipped his hat politely to her. "Lucy Heartfilia? I've got a package for you, with strict instructions to deliver it as soon as possible." he held out a small package to her with a kind smile.

Lucy opened the door fully and accepted the package. "A gift?" she wondered aloud. "Who is it from?"

"I'm one of the workers working at your house to sort through your father's possessions," the man explained. "We found this under his bed with a letter attached saying it should be delivered, unopened, to you."

Lucy bowed to the worker. "Thank you, sir," she said. "Have a good day." she waved as the man tipped his hat to her again and then left.

Lucy hastily shut the door, allowing her curiosity to show. She grabbed a knife from her kitchen and quickly opened the package, revealing an even smaller box, beautifully crafted and painted, smothered in wrapping paper in order to keep it from moving. She pulled out the box, which was about eight inches long and three inches wide, out if the packaging and gently pried the lid open, holding the box with care so as not to damage it. Inside was what looked like a Celestial Spirit Gate Key, except it was blue, not gold or silver. She turned the key over in her hand, staring at it in awe. It was a sky-blue color with a gold center, the image of a dog inside of the circle.

"What is this...?" Lucy wondered to herself. She glanced at the box again, spotting a note sticking out of the box's soft red lining. She pulled the piece of paper from the box and unfolded it, her eyes scanning over the paper.

_My Dearest Lucy,_

_Enclosed within this container is a Celestial Spirit Key, one that you've never seen before. The Celestial Spirit bonded to the key is Yuki, the Dog, one if the twelve keys of the Chinese zodiac. There is not much I can tell you on paper, so you must ask Yuki. She will tell you all you need to know. Her gate is the Gate of the Dog. If you have any other questions, ask Crux. I love you, my Lucky Lucy._

_All my love,_

_Layla Heartfilia_

Lucy gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, tears blurring her vision. She blinked, the tears spilling onto her cheeks and onto the note her mother left her. She picked up the key, wrapping her fingers around it, and stood up. She sliced the key through the air. "Open, Gate of the Dog: Yuki!" she called clearly. The words felt strangely familiar on her tongue.

There was a bright flash of blue light and a girl stepped forward, combing her fingers through her wavy brown hair. She looked to be about fifteen years old, with freckles on her cheeks and dog ears poking out of her hair. She looked up at Lucy through pretty doe-brown eyes and smiled. "Good morning, Miss Lucy," she greeted.

Lucy looked down at the girl in surprise. "You know my name?" she said, pointing to herself.

Yuki nodded. "Mistress Layla told me before she died that she would be giving my key to you." she seemed to sadden a bit at the mention of Lucy's mother. "She told me her daughter had a Seeker's instinct."

Lucy looked absolutely baffled. "You knew my mother," she near-whispered. She blinked, confusion crossing her features. "What's a Seeker?"

Yuki blinked up at Lucy. "You don't know? I thought Layla would have told you?" she paused, thinking. "Wait, no. She did say something about how she didn't think it was necessary. She was going to complete the quest... but that was before she got sick..."

"What's a Seeker?" Lucy repeated, interrupting Yuki from her thoughts.

Yuki jumped slightly, as if she had forgotten Lucy was there. She gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I get distracted," she apologized. "Seekrr is the short term for Seeker of the Blue Keys. They're Celestial wizards who have the blood of ancient Seekers in them. Your mother, Layla, is a direct descendant of the first Seeker, Lorelei. Lorelei is your twenty-times great-grandmother." she looked excited, bouncing a little on her feet. "The Blue Keys hold the twelve spirits of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. I'm the dog, in case you didn't catch that."

Lucy nodded, a serious expressions on her face. "So, as a... Seeker... What do I have to do?"

"That depends on your choice," Yuki answered. "You can choose to continue your mother's quest for the Blue Krys, or you can put my key back in the box and find another Seeker. There's only one other at the moment, however." she paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "What was her name again? I forget."

Lucy frowned slightly and opened her mouth to ask another question when she heard someone calling her name. She peeked out the window and spotted Natsu, her fellow guild member and partner, looking up at her.

Natau waved frantically to her. "Lucy! There you are! I wanted to see if you would go on a mission with me!" he called.

Lucy shook her head. "Not right now, I'm kind of busy!" she called back, and paused. It wouldn't hurt for her to introduce Yuki and Natsu, would it? She waved Natsu up. "Come on in!"

Lucy quickly stepped back from the window as Natsu leaped up with a height only he could reach. He grinned at Lucy as he climbed in the window. "'Morning, Luce, how-" he trailed off when he spotted Yuki. "Who's that?"

Yuki looked quite startled to see Natsu, probably because he just jumped into a second story window, but quickly regained her composure. "I'm Yuki, the Dog spirit," she said.

Natsu looked perplexed. "I thought Plue was the dog spirit?" he asked, plopping down on Lucy's bed.

Lucy rubbed the back of her head and glanced at Yuki. Whatever it is this "quest" was, she felt it was important. "Perhaps we should go to the guild. I'll explain everything there." she picked up Yuki's key and turned to the dog spirit. "Close, Gate of the Dog!" she called, slashing the key through the air. Yuki was enveloped by a blue light and disappeared. Lucy glanced down at the key; it felt warm in her hand, almost alive. She smiled and added it to her ring of gold and silver keys before turning to Natsu. "Let's go."

* * *

"Oh my gosh..." Levy mumbled, covering her mouth with her hands. Luc had just finished telling the guild her story. "So your mother left you that key? And she wants you to finish her quest, whatever it is? What is this quest anyway?" she glanced at Lucy expectantly.

Lucy fidgeted nervously under the scrutiny of her Guildmates. "Well, I don't know yet," she admitted. "Yuki should know."

"Then summon her already!" Levy exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.

Lucy blinked in surprise. "Okay, okay," she relented, unclipping Yuki's key. "Open, Gate of the Dog, Yuki!"

Again the familiar bright light appeared and Yuki stepped out of it. She seemed startled to be around so many people, and glanced at Lucy. "You called?" she said, twirling a strand of brown hair around her fingers.

Lucy nodded. "I told my guildmates about this quest, and we want to know the specifics," she explained.

Yuki's eyes widened. "You told them!" she yelled. "Oh dear, this is terrible! If they find out-"

Lucy cut her off, very confused. "Woah, calm down!" she cried. "If you don't want them to know, it's fine..."

Yuki shook her head and sighed, collecting herself. "No, they already know. I'll tell them, but only if they promise to keep it a secret."

Lucy turned to her guildmates. "You heard her!" she spoke. "This information stays within the guild walls!" there were murmurs of doubt and concern coming from the crowd, but ultimately everyone agreed.

Yuki sighed, relaxing substantially. "Alright, I'll talk. Make yourselves comfortable, this is a long story." she sat down on a nearby chair and took a deep breath. "Before I begin, I should say that the spirits of the Chinese zodiac and the Celestial Spirits live in separate worlds, but they used to all live in harmony." she paused, then began her story.

"It all began with the cat, Tora. Tora is a creature from the legend of the chinese zodiac, but he is not an actual spirit of the zodiac. Every chinese spirit has a Gold Key counterpart. Tora was the only one without a counterpart, and it made him angry and jealous. In his anger he confronted the Snake, Chie, who is Leo's counterpart.

"The two started an argument, drawing in the other spirits. Leo and Tora were in the center of it all. The argument turned into an all-out battle between the Celestial Spirits and the Blue Spirits, resulting in the Celestial Spirits being the victors. Tora swore vengeance on Leo.

"The Blue Spirits began to attack the Celestial Spirits randomly, and before long a war had began. The Celestial King was saddened by the fact that his spirits were fighting. In order to keep the peace, he separated the two worlds so that could no longer fight.

"This act was able to keep us from destroying each other, but I'm sure Tora still harbors a grudge against Leo. Tora is a menace, with a heart of stone. He no longer interacts with the other Blue Spirits, and hides in the shadows. But, if the twelve keys of the Celestial zodiac and the twelve keys of the Chinese zodiac are brought together, we can save out two worlds, amd build a new world of peace."

Yuki finished her story, looking up from where she had been staring at her hands. "The combined magic of the twenty-four zodiac keys has the power to dissolve the wall that keeps us apart."

Levy bit her bottom lip. "Wow, I can't believe that happened because of one spirit," she murmured. "Of course we won't tell anyone about this."

There were murmurs of agreement from the other guild members. Natsu jumped out of his chair, grinning. "Aw, yeah! I'm fired up! When do we leave, Luce?"

Lucy frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "First of all, I don't know if I'll even take the quest. Second of all, if I did take the quest, I'f have to go on my own. I'm the one with the Seeker's blood."

"That's not entirely true," Yuki piped up. "You'd be allowed to take as many people as you want with you, but when it comes to the final trial, only Keepers can participate."

Natsu's grinned broadened. "Then that settles it! Team Natsu will take on the quest!" he said, crossing his arms smugly. Gray grabbed the fire dragon slayer's head and shoved him back into his chair. "Can it, you idiot," he muttered, irritated.

Natsu looked ready to start a fight, but a sharp glare from Lucy calmed both mages down quickly. Lucy cleared throat. "Well, that's not for you to decide," she pointed out. "I still have a lot of questions to ask Yuki, which I will ask in my own home with no one else around." she glared sharply at her teammates as she said this, daring them to eavesdrop. "I'll come back with my final answer tomorrow." she returned Yuki to the Spirit Realm and clipped her key to her keyring again.

Natsu pouted at her and looked like he still wanted to argue, but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. The guild began to disperse, going back to their daily occurrences, and Erza approached Lucy, a serious look on her face, as always. She placed a hand on Lucy"s shoulder. "Whatever you choose, I support," she said, with a small smile.

Lucy smiled back. "Thanks, Erza," she sighed. "I just hope the guys understand. They can be so difficult sometimes."

Erza nodded. "If they become troublesome, I'll take care of them," she promised.

Lucy smiled at the older woman. Erza had become like an older sister to her over the time Lucy had spent at the guild. "I wouldn't want to be them," she laughed, and stood up. "I'm going to head back to my apartment now. See you later!" she waved to her teammates as she left the guild and walked back to her apartment. She walked into her home and closed the door behind her, sighing and plopping down in her bed. It had been a long day, but she still had unanswered questions. She pulled out Yuki's key and summoned her for the third time today.

Yuki sat down across from Lucy on the bed. "I can answer your questions," she assured the Celestial Spirit mage with a small smile.

Lucy nodded. "Okay, first question: if I decide not to take this quest, what will happen to the Spirit World?" she asked.

Yuki fidgeted a bit on the bed. "Well, nothing would happen in your lifetime, necessarily, but the Blue Spirits aren't receiving sufficient care. If left unattended, my world would more or less vanish, cease to exist," she answered. "It's hard to say how long it could take. Maybe only one hundred years, maybe nearly five hundred."

Lucy nodded. "Second question: you mentioned a second Keeper. Who are they?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. She was curious to find out who the other Celestial Spirit mage was.

Yuki thought for a moment. "That's the one I couldn't remember..." she trailed off, thinking hard. Lucy frowned, disappointed, but it quickly changed to surprise as Yuki suddenly shot up. "I remember!" she cried. "Her name is Yukino, Yukino Aguria."

Lucy's face lit up in pleasant surprise. "Yukino is the other Keeper!" she squealed. "That's wonderful!"

Yuki smiled. "Yukino has already started to search for the keys," she added. "She's in possession of two; the Ox, Kenshin, and the Rooster, Sumato. Let me grab something for you." she closed her eyes and waved her hand, creating a small portal in front of her hand. Peering inside, Lucy could see a room with a window, the familiar backdrop of the Celestial Spirit Realm through it. Yuki felt around for a bit until she found what she was looking for, a dusty brown bad. She pulled the bag out and beat the dust from it.

"This bag contains everything you need for the quest. A map of Fiore showing the location of every key, a marker showing Yukino's location, a communication lacrima to keep in touch with people, extra money, just in case, and a miniature camp set kept in a box. It's made tiny with a simple size spell, one that is easy to learn. I know it, so I can take it apart and put it back together again." she smiled proudly.

Lucy giggled. "That's great. You've thought of everything," she said. "I only have one more question: will the quest be dangerous?"

Yuki smile faltered and she sighed sadly. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that question," she admitted. "Yes, it will be dangerous, more dangerous than anything you've ever experienced before." she paused, biting her lip. "Yukino agreed to the quest despite the dangers, and I hope you will, too."

Lucy sighed softly. "I'll sleep on it," she decided. "And let you know in the morning. Until then, return." Yuki bowed in farewell and retreated back through her gate, leaving Lucy alone in her bedroom. Lucy sighed and laid down in her bed, gradually falling asleep.

* * *

_"Lucy..."_

_Lucy raised her head and looked around, confused. "Hello?" she called. She squinted through the dark fog that surrounded her, but only managed to see about a foot before the scenery faded to a dull gray._

_"Lucy..."_

_"Who's there?" Lucy called, turning in a full circle. She could see no one through the fog, and the thought was beginning to frighten her. The voice was familiar, though she couldn't put her finger on it._

_"My Lucky Lucy..."_

_Lucy's eyes widened. "Mother?!" she cried. "Mother! Where are you, Mother?" she whipped her head back and forth, desperately searching for Layla, her anchor in this dark world._

_A hand reached out of the fog and cupped Lucy's cheek gently. The rest of Layla's body followed suit until she was standing on front of her daughter. "Lucy," she murmured, kissing her daughter's forehead._

_Lucy felt tears run down her cheeks. "Mother!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Layla's waist and burying her face in her mother's shoulder. "I missed you."_

_Layla smiled at Lucy lovingly, but grasped her daughter's shoulders and gently pushed her back. Lucy reluctantly untangled herself from Layla and looked up at her. Layla apoke gently, "Now is not the time for happy reunions. I sent Yuki to you so that you could continue my work. There is a greater cause for this, one that Yuki has yet to discover."_

_Lucy looked up at her mother, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Another cause?"_

_Layla opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, glancing over her shoulder anxiously. She turned back to Lucy and squeezed her shoulders. "I must go now, I'm sorry. Trust me, Lucy, amd wake up."_

_"Mother, wait!" Lucy cried, but Layla had already disappeared into the fog._

_"Wake up..." her last words echoed around her. Lucy blinked, her heart rate speeding up._

_"Wake up." the sound became louder, echoing in her head. Lucy felt groggy and sunk to her knees, closing her eyes._

"Wake up!" Lucy gasped and her eyes shot open, sweat glistening on her forehead. She was breathing heavily and her heartrate was rocketing. Her hands were gripping the sheets of her bed tightly, so tightly that her knuckles were white and she had torn holes in the fabric with her fingernails. Natsu's concerned face leaned over her, his nose only inches from hers. His stern features relaxed when she looked at him. "Thank goodness," he sighed, straightening up to allow Lucy room to sit up. "You were late coming to the guild today, so I came to check on you. You were mumbling in your sleep, and it looked like you were having a nightmare, so I woke you up."

Lucy sighed and forced herself to calm down, leaning back on her hands for support. Although she was irritated that he had woken her from a dream about her mother, she knew he only did it because he was worried about her. She smiled softly at him. "I must have overslept. Thanks," she said, standing up and stretching.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Natsu asked, glancing up at Lucy expectantly.

Lucy paused, figuring it wasn't worth lying to Natsu; he would find out the truth in the end. She nodded. "Yeah, but it's fine. Nothing scary."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Natsu continued.

Lucy shook her head, but smiled at her friend's considerance. "I'm fine, I promise," she repeated. "No more nightmares." she ducked into her bathroom for a second to change out of her pajamas and then walked back into the main room, clipping her keys and her whip to her belt and tying her hair in a half-up style on the side of her head, her usual hairstyle. She turned to Natsu. "Alright, let's go to the guild, I've made my decision."

Natsu pestered Lucy about her decision all the way to the guild. He must have been really curious, but it was getting on Lucy's nerves.

"Why won't you tell me?" he whined.

Lucy sighed loudly. "I'll tell everyone when we get to the guild," she repeated for the hundredth time. "I don't want to have to repeat myself thirty times." she paused and glanced up, pointing. "Look, you can see the guild right there."

Natsu immediately brightened and the two walked to the guild together. Lucy pushed open the doors of the guild. "I'm here, sorry I'm late!" she called.

Almost immediately all eyes were on her, expecting their answer. Apparently Natsu wasn't the only one anticipating her arrival. Lucy cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable under the stares of everyone. She took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm. She lifted her chin confidently.

"I'm taking the quest."


	2. The Quest Begins

**Aaaah. I've been writing so much lately. Three updates in two days, that must be a new record! I'm really excited for this story, I think it has a lot of potential with my plotline. I'm also planning a crossover fanfic, but I don't know if I can keep up with four fanfics xD Well then, enjoy this new chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! Love you guys 3 Please continue to support my writing!**

**Dyeni: I'm glad you find my story interesting! I'll try to keep up the suspense haha**

**AnimeLuver778: Thanks! I hope you continue to support this!**

**Bentears: Wow indeed xD**

**kelpiejh: It took my so long so spell out your penname xD Thanks! I try my best to make the backstories interesting.**

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Levy asked. It was the morning before Lucy was scheduled to leave on her quest. She had woken early, not very fond of long goodbyes, in order to be ready to leave early. She had asked Levy to come with her for moral support.

Lucy nodded, slinging Yuki's pack over her shoulder. She glanced inside to make sure everything was there, pulling out the rolled-up map and opened it up, glancing over it. She gawked at the magic markers that moved about the map. There was a marker for every spirit she needed to receive along with one for Yukino. She smiled at Yukino's marker and rolled the map back up again, putting it back in her bag.

She straightened up and shook her arms, nervousness creeping up on her. She didn't want to see the looks on her guildmates' faces when she announced she was leaving, and that she was taking her team with her. Natsu, Gray, Erza and Wendy would make invaluable teammates, and of course Happy and Carla would come with them.

Lucy glanced at her watch. Two minutes until her guildmates would start arriving. Levy placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you worried?" she asked softly.

Lucy paused, then nodded. "I'll be depriving the guild of their strongest members. I hope no one opposes."

Levy squeezed Lucy's shoulder reassuringly. "They'll understand," she assured. "They all know how important this is to you." she paused, a sad look coming over has face. "I wish I could come with you," she murmured. "But I'd just get in the way."

Lucy glanced down at her friend. "I wish you could too, but I know you couldn't bear to leave," she said. "Besides, your guild needs you here."

Levy nodded and embraced Lucy. "Be safe, Lucy," she said, tears pricking her eyes. She sniffed slightly. "I'll be here when you get back."

Lucy hugged Levy back, blinking back her own tears. She would save those for later. "Take care of Gajeel for me," she added, winking. Levy smiled and giggled lightly. The two made their way to the tables surrounding the guild hall and sat down as people began filtering into the guild, filling the silent air with pleasant chatter. Lucy kept to herself, and luckily not many people approached her.

Lucy only stood up when Natsu and Gray entered the guild together. By now almost everyone was here and she was ready to make her announcement. She had already let her team know that she wanted them along. Natsu glanced around, smiling brightly at Lucy when he spotted her. He made his way over, and Gray followed close behind.

"Yo, Luce," Natsu greeted, plopping down in a seat next to her.

Lucy smiled at her partner and best friend. "Good morning," she greeted. "You guys ready to go?" she glanced at her teammates. Gray sported a small backpack, which he placed on the table. "I took the liberty of packing some extra food and money for the trip," he said. "Natsu brought nothing." he scowled at the pink-haired man.

Natsu glared back at Gray. "Well sorr-y if I don't need that crap!" he defended, crossing his arms. "You were the one who insisted on bringing matches, even though I'm practically made of fire."

"You can never be too prepared!" Gray argued. Lucy rolled her eyes at the two bickering boys and raised her voice. "The extra matches will be helpful, but it doesn't matter if Natsu doesn't bring anything. I wasn't expecting it anyway," she said quickly. Both of the boys glanced at her for a moment and then descended into silence, stealing glares at each other when Lucy wasn't watching.

Lucy put her bag onto the table beside Gray's. "In here is all the stuff I need. A map with markers depicting every spirit and Yukino, a communication lacrima, spare food and water, some money, and camping equipment."

Natsu glanced at Lucy curiously. "How does all that fit in that tiny bag?" he asked.

"The camping supplies is shrunken using a size spell," Lucy explained, reaching into the bag and pulling out a drawstring pouch with the equipment inside. "Yuki knows how it works."

Gray nodded in understanding, though Natsu still looked puzzled. He shook his head and grinned. "Alright, now we just need Erza and Wendy! Happy was with them last night, so he should be coming with them."

"I'm here." Lucy glanced up to see Erza standing over Lucy's shoulder, a simply shoulder bag holding her supplied. She set it down on the table where it seemed the group's supplies was accumulating. "Where's Wendy and Carla?"

"We're here!" Wendy jogged through the guild's front doors, Carla perched on her shoulder and Happy flying close behind. The blue-haired girl looked out of breath, and collapsed in one of the chairs, panting. Happy was holding a ball of string in his hand.

Lucy glanced at Happy curiously. "What's that for?" she asked, gesturing to his string.

Happy held up the spool proudly. "You tie the string onto a stick and catch fish!" he explained. "I figured Natsu forgot it, so I flew home and got it."

Natsu grinned and rubbed his cat's head. "Good job, Happy!" he praised, picking up the thread and sticking it in Lucy's pack, as he had nowhere to put it. Lucy frowned at him but didn't argue.

Wendy pulled her purse-style pack off her shoulder and laid it on the table. "Let's make sure I have everything; There's food, a hairbrush and comb, toothbrushes and toothpaste, mints…"

"You didn't have to pack all that," Lucy interrupted with an amused smile. "We should only be gone for a week or so, maybe longer. You don't need mints, or," she paused, pulling out a small container. "So many pencils."

Wendy blushed lightly. "Sorry, I tend to over-prepare," she replied sheepishly. "But on the other hand, if anything needs something, I've got it."

"Did you pack any fire?" Natsu asked, leaning over the table towards Wendy. "I'm starved."

Wendy gave Natsu a funny look and Gray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, Natsu, she didn't pack any fire," he said, obviously trying to contain his irritance.

Natsu pouted and leaned back in his chair. "Whatever," he replied. Lucy giggled at his antics, and stood up. "I should tell Master that we're leaving soon," she said, walking towards Makarov's office. She pushed open the door, peeking inside. "Master?" she called.

Makarov looked up from his desk and smiled at Lucy. "Ready to leave?" he guessed. Of course he had known of her quest.

Lucy nodded and walked up to the desk. "Yes. Natsu, Gray, Erza and Wendy are here, so we're ready," she echoed. "We should be gone a week or more. I'll try to keep in touch with the communication lacrima."

Makarov nodded. "Then I wish you luck on your quest. I'll tell the guild." he stood up from his chair and made his way to the front of the guild, clearing his throat. "Shut up and listen!" he yelled.

That seemed to catch everyone's attention, and their eyes turned to him. Once he had everyone's attention, he began to speak, "As you all know, today is the day that Lucy leaves on her quest," he began. There were murmurs of apprehension from the crowd, which Makarov silenced with a raise of his hand. "In any instance, she and her team, along with Wendy, are leaving shortly. Take a bit to say your goodbye's and wish them luck on this important mission. That is all."

Immediately everyone crowded around Lucy and her teammates, wishing them luck and telling Natau to keep out of trouble. Lucy made her way to the guild entrances and waving to her guildmates. "Bye!" she called. "See you in a few weeks!" and with that, she turned on her heels and headed outside, taking a deep breath of the fresh Magnolia air. She sighed contentedly.

Gray glanced at Lucy. "What should we do first?" he asked.

"We should contact Yukino," Wendy suggested. "Maybe she can tell us something."

Lucy nodded. "That sounds like a good idea," she said, and reached into her bag, pulling out the round yellowish orb and glancing i to it. "Connect me to Yukino Aguria," she commanded. The orb turned a milky white color for a moment, then cleared after about a minute, revealing Yukino's face inside it.

"Hello?" Yukino asked. Her face lit up when she saw Lucy's face. "Lucy!" she exclaimed. "What're you calling about?"

Lucy smiled fondly. "It's been a while, Yukino," she greeted. "I just discovered something about my mother. Lorelei Seeker is my twenty-times great-grandmother."

For a moment, Yukino looked utterly stunned. Then her face lit up again. "Another Seeker! That's wonderful!" she squealed excitedly. "Do you have any keys yet?"

Lucy unclipped her key from her ring and held it up to the lacrima. "Yuki, the Dog," she answered. "My mother left her for me."

Yukino nodded. "I have two, the Ox and the Snake. That's Kenshin and Chie." she held the keys up to Lucy could see them. They were blue, just like Lucy expected, with a picture of their respected animal on the handle. "Have you made a contract with Yuki yet?" she asked.

Lucy blinked. "You can make a contract with Chinese spirits?" she said in surprise.

Yukino giggled. "I figured as much. Making a contract with Yuki is the first thing you should do. Then find the other keys and make contracts with them."

Lucy nodded. "How long have you been a Seeker, Yukino?" she asked.

"It's been two months since I was given the Ox key," she replied. Lucy paled. "It took you two months to find one key?" she exclaimed. If that was the situation, she would be gone much longer than a week.

Yukino nodded. "Finding the spirits may look easy, but it's not. The keys are heavily guarded. Only Celestial Spirit mages are strong enough to pass the trials. Often, there are puzzles or riddles to figure out before you can actually get the key. In the end, the Spirit has to accept you as their summoner, or they won't let you find them."

Lucy blinked in surprise. "Wow, they're that hard to get?" she replied, unease pulling at her mood. Perhaps she wasn't cut out for this job after all.

Yukino seemed to sense her uneasiness. "Don't worry about it, Lucy," she said. "I'm sure you'll be great." she smiled reassuringly at her friend.

Lucy took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," she said with a smile. "Should we meet up to find the keys?" she suggested, but Yukino shook her head.

"It will be quicker if we stay separate," she pointed out. "We can stay in touch using communication lacrima, and when we have all the keys, we can meet up."

Lucy was a bit disappointed with Yukino's answer, but nodded. "Alright, I understand," she said. "See you later, Yukino." she tapped the lacrima three times, cutting off the communication. She glanced at her team, who were chatting amongst themselves. "Yukino and I have worked out a plan," she announced. "We'll search for the keys separately and meet up once we have all twenty-four." It helped that she and Yukino already possessed all twelve golden zodiac keys.

Erza glanced up from talking with Wendy and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan," she agreed. She glanced at her watch and then up at the sky. "I'd say we have a few hours of daylight left. Shall we get going?"

Lucy nodded. "Let's get going while we still have time," she agreed, and glanced at the guys. They were bickering again, and looked ready to start a brawl. "Boys!" she snapped.

Natsu flinched slightly at Lucy's irritated tone and sighed, standing. "I heard you," he muttered, glaring sideways at Gray, who wore a triumphant smirk. "Let's go."

Lucy nodded and turned to leave, taking a breath and savoring the fresh air. She frowned slightly at the sense of foreboding she felt at the thought of her quest, as if she was running into something much bigger than she thought. _Well, there's no going back now._


	3. A Little Bit Of Help

**This chapter took a long time to update -_-' I was at such a loss for inspiration and I just didn't want to do it. But after I actually found the energy to start, the story flowed pretty smoothly. Sorry if this chapter seems sloppy or rushed. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited my stories! Thanks for supporting me! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! It's a little longer than normal ;D**

**NaLu4Ever13: Thank you! I'm glad you think my writing is so good! x3**

**Bentears: I do enjoy the adventure vibe c:**

* * *

The group finally settled for the night in a grove of trees, finding a clearing large enough to allow the whole group to stay. Lucy summoned Yuki to teach her how to work the size spell on the camping equipment, and found it quite simple. Within a few minutes, they had begun to set up camp.

Natsu struggled to pitch the tent for the team, and Lucy giggled as she watched him puzzling over different pieces. She walked over to him. "Here, let me show you," she said, taking the bundles of plastic supports from him. She began to connect the collapsable pipes together to form a long, flexible line, and connected it to the frame Natsu had managed to put together. "Like this," she explained, bending the plastic down and connecting it on the other side so that it formed a tall arc.

Natsu marveled at Lucy's ability to remember how to pitch a tent. He'd never had to do anything like it. He took the second bundle and copied Lucy, who supervised him carefully as he connected the plastic and attached it to the opposite corners of the frame from Lucy's pipe. He grinned when he was finished. "Now what?" he asked eagerly.

Lucy giggled at Natsu's eagerness to learn and showed him how to put on the actual tent part and the rain tarp that covered it, before carrying the sleeping bags and pillows inside and laying them out. There were five in all, the perfect number for the five wizards. Happy and Carla would share sleeping bags with their dragon slayer counterparts. Once they were all set out, Lucy walked back out of the tent and saw that Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the exceeds had started a nice-looking fire pit using the folding chairs that came with the camping gear and some rocks and wood scattered around the forest. Natsu quickly lit a fire with his magic and the travelers sat around the fire, content for the night.

Wendy sighed contentedly as she held her hands out to the fire, a blanket wrapped snuggly around her shoulders. Carla sat nestled into her lap, half-asleep. "So, where do you want to go first, Lucy?" Wendy asked, glancing up at the blond mage.

"I figured I'd go after the Tiger first, she's the closest," Lucy answered. "Yuki told me a bit about her. Her name is Sonkei. She's supposed to be friendly, and she's knowledgeable too. She could really come in handy."

Wendy smiled and nodded. "How long until we get there?" Gray asked. Of course he wasn't bothered by the cold. Only Lucy and Wendy were, really, since Erza didn't care and Natsu was a walking sauna already.

"About two day's walk," Lucy answered. "I think when Yukino said it took her two months to get two keys, she went for the ones farthest from where she was." Lucy chuckled sheepishly. "I doubt it will actually take a month to get one key."

Erza nodded agreement. "Sounds like a good plan. Nice work, Lucy," she said with a smile. She glanced around. "Where did Natsu and Happy get off to?" she asked.

Gray sat back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head. "They went fishing," he answered, crossing his legs. "They said they'd be back soon."

Lucy nodded and pulled out her map, opening it and looking around for the marker that symbolized the Tiger. She found it quickly and began tracing a path with her finger. She had discovered that by touching the map, she could highlight a pathway. "The quickest route is to go west from here and follow the main road into the mountains there," she explained. "There's a passage there that leads to where Sonkei's key is. The only problem is that there may be robbers along the main road."

"I think we can handle them," Gray boasted. "What's a couple of robbers compared to us?"

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Don't get a big head over it," she scolded. "We can't afford to be careless. We have too many valuable items on us to lose."

Gray sighed. "I guess you're right," he murmured, though he looked a bit annoyed to be reprimanded by a twelve-year-old.

Carla opened her eyes suddenly and her ears twitched. "Something's not right," she murmured, glancing around.

Wendy looked up in surprise, glancing around as well. "Are you sure, Carla?" she asked, though she seemed tense. "What kind of thing?"

Carla's ear twitched again. "Something big, maybe the size of a human," she said.

"Maybe it's just a person?" Gray suggested. "It's late at night. Who would be out so late?"

Wendy glared at Gray. "Carla is almost never wrong," she argued. "We should look, to see who it is."

Gray seemed reluctant, but Lucy nodded agreement. "That sounds like a good idea," she agreed. "Wendy, you come with me. Gray and Erza, you look over there." she pointed towards the forest behind the tent. Erza nodded and headed for the back, with Gray trailing reluctantly after her.

Lucy turned towards the forest and headed inside, Wendy close behind with her senses alert, especially her hearing. She paused and tensed when she started to hear something. "Those are definitely humans," she whispered. "Two, no, three of them, coming this way."

"One of them is smaller than the others," Carla added. "I can sense their magic. They're all powerful mages."

Lucy paused when she started to hear the sounds as well, and placed her hand on her keys, just to be prepared. What she was not expecting, however, was the white hair that popped out of the trees.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Yukino!?" she cried out in surprise.

The white-haired girl looked up and smiled at Lucy and Wendy. "Hi, Lucy!" she greeted. "Sorry for dropping in suddenly, but we were close by and decided to pay a visit!"

Wendy blinked once. "We?" she repeated perceptively.

Yukino nodded. "Yeah, I brought a few partners along," she explained, and turned around. "Sting! Rogue! Hurry up already!" she called.

It took a moment, but the the two men finally emerged from the trees. Sting frowned at Yukino. "Dammit, Yukino, running off and leaving us behind," he muttered. "We're not as small and agile as you are."

Yukino just giggled and hugged Sting's arm. "Sorry," she replied.

Rogue nodded to the two girls, as silent as ever. Lucy smiled at him. "Good to see you all again!" she exclaimed happily.

"Sting!" Lector flew out of the woods, Frosch close behind him. Lector landed on Sting's shoulder and glanced over at Lucy and Wendy. "Fairy Tail? Yukino mentioned you might be out here," he said, nodding to them politely.

Wendy smiled at the Sabertooth mages. "Would you all like to come back to our camp? Erza and Gray should be back by now."

Carla nodded from her spot in Wendy's arms. "Natsu and Happy should be as well," she added.

Yukino smiled at Wendy and nodded. "That would be great," she answered, following Lucy and Wendy on the short walk back to the campsite. Gray and Erza were already there, talking amongst themselves, and they looked up when they spotted Lucy return.

"Lucy!" Gray called. "We were just about to come find you! Did you-" he paused when he spotted the other three mages approaching. "Sabertooth?"

"Yukino brought Sting and Rogue with her when she left on her quest," Lucy explained. "Be nice to them."

Gray just scowled slightly at her and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, towards the tent. "Natsu and Happy got back right after we did," he said. "They're inside."

Lucy nodded and turned to Wendy. "Wendy, go get them, please," she told the blue-haired girl, who nodded obediently and walked over to the tent, disappearing inside. Lucy then turned to the Sabertooth mages. "You all are welcome to stay tonight if you like," she offered.

Sting nodded. "That sounds good. Yukino has some things we want to talk to you about as well, before we leave."

Lucy sat down in her chair and motioned for the others to sit as well. She figured her teammates could go without their seats for a little while. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Yukino exchanged glances with her teammates. "Well, we thought it would be best to accompany you to find the first key," she explained. "It's not that we have any doubt about you, but it would be better if you had experience on your side, right?"

Lucy nodded; she understood completely. In fact, she was kind of hoping that's what this was about. "That's perfect!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, and showed Yukino her map. "We're going to try and find the Tiger next." she pointed out a spot on the map where a tiger's face rested. "Her key is located in this temple, about two day's walk from here. If we stay along the river, it should be an easy walk."

Yukino nodded as she pored over the map. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "The five of us will set up camp here, as we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." she nodded to Sting and Rogue, who stood up and began to unpack their supplies. Once everyone was settled. the newly enlarged group settled in for the night, readying themselves for the long day ahead.

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered open, and she was momentarily blinded by the harsh sunlight that filtered through the tent's thin walls. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, brushing her hair from her face and glancing around. The tent was nearly empty except for Natsu and Happy, who remained fast asleep. Lucy hummed contentedly to herself as she pulled her hairbrush from her backpack and quickly ran it through her hair before tying it in it's usual half-up position on the side of her head. Then she stood and pushed her way out of the tent, pleasantly surprised to see almost everyone up.

Wendy looked up as Lucy exited the tent and smiled at her cheerfully. "Good morning!" she greeted. "You're just in time for breakfast! Is Natsu awake yet?"

Lucy shook her head. "He's out like a rock. Want me to wake him up?"

"Yes, please."

Lucy grinned devilishly. This was going to be fun. She walked back into the tent and leaned over Natsu's sleeping form, observing him curiously. He was a sloppy sleeper, not at all peaceful. His mouth was wide open and his arms and legs went every which way, a thin trail of drool running down his cheek. Happy was snuggled up against the crook of his neck, purring in an ironically cat-like way. Natsu looked strangely cute like that, and Lucy smiled to herself once before leaning down to Natsu's ear. She cupped her mouth with both hands and took a deep breath.

"WAKE UP!" she yelled right into Natsu's ear. The salmon-haired man's eyes shot open and he leaped to his feet, eyes wild.

"What's going on?" Natsu demanded, whipping his head around. Lucy was laughing so hard by now that she was tearing up. Natsu stared down at her curiously. "Lucy, what's so funny?"

Lucy forced herself to calm down, taking deep breaths. She could hardly breathe anymore. She pointed to the tent's entrance instead, stifling her giggles.

Natsu still looked confused, but shrugged, ducking through the tent's door. Happy rested on his shoulder, and Lucy followed closely behind him, a broad smile on her face.

Yukino met the three outside the tent. "Morning!" she greeted cheerfully. "Breakfast is all ready, so help yourselves!" she gestured to a table with a feast laid out on it. Lucy gawked at the sheer amount of food available and wondered how on earth they managed to bring it all. Erza, Gray and Wendy were already seated with Sting and Rogue, and Carla mingled close by with Lector and Frosch, though she looked about ready to make a run for it by the look on her face. No doubt Lector was bragging about Sting to her, and Frosch was agreeing with everything his friend said.

Lucy quickly dished herself a healthy portion of food and sat down with her teammates. "Eat quickly," Sting warned. "We want to leave as soon as possible."

Lucy nodded and dug into her meal, exchanging pleasant conversation with the other people at her table. She was joined not long into the meal by Natsu, who had somehow persuaded Yukino to let him eat her campfire. Before long, everyone was packed up and ready to go.

Lucy dropped the rest of the camping supplies into the drawstring pouch and tucked it into her bag, sighing contentedly. "Ready to go?" she called to the others. There was a collective affirmative response from the mages from both guilds. "Let's go!" Lucy waved to them and the now very large group of twelve made their way down to the riverbank, which they had decided would be their path until they reached the temple that Sonkei"s key was supposedly hidden. Lucy felt that it would be an easy journey.

* * *

It had been nearly a whole day since Lucy and her friends left their campsite to follow the river. They were only halfway there, and already Lucy's feet ached horribly and her head throbbed. It was a tough task keeping everyone together, especially when all the guys wanted to do was fight each other. She was glad to have Erza on her side to help keep order, but the task was still exhausting.

"Thanks, Erza," Lucy said for about the fifth time since she woke up that morning. Yet another fight had been prevented, but it was obvious that if something exciting didn't happen soon, someone was going to get thrown in the river. And by someone, she meant Natsu.

The fire dragon slayer had been especially irritating today. He was usually the one who started the fights, and no matter how many times she told him to keep his fat mouth shut, he would just open it back up anyway. It truly did make Lucy want to throw him in the river and leave him for dead.

"No problem," Erza answered Lucy, taking up her spot behind Lucy and Yukino and next to Wendy. Lucy wondered how Erza could remain so stoic and unphased after breaking up so many fights. She would never understand Erza.

For the moment, the guys were silent. Lucy sighed, enjoying her moment of peace while it still lasted. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone ruined it.

"Lucy!" Natsu's call jerked Lucy from her moment of peace and she frowned deeply.

"What do you want?" she snapped back at Natsu, pausing and turning to face her partner.

Natsu was staring intently into the forest. "We're being followed," he announced. "There's someone in the trees."

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny," she muttered. "I swear, if this is a joke-"

"I smell it too," Wendy interrupted. "There's someone in the woods. A mage by the feel of it. Lucy, we should watch out. Her magic is powerful, really powerful."

This made Lucy flinch and stare i to the forest. Wendy hadn't failed her yet. "Who's there?" she called. "We know you're there!"

For a long moment, it was silent, and then a voice emerged from the trees. "What a shame you had to notice me," it said. "I assure you, I mean you no harm. I am simply curious."

"Who are you?" Gray demanded. "What do you want with us?" e took a threatening step forward, but Rogue grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, shaking his head.

Rogue gazed out into the woods. "I have a bad feeling about this," he murmured in a deep voice.

"Very well, if it cannot be avoided, then I suppose I must show myself," the voice came again. A long-legged girl looking to be about sixteen stepped out of the shadows. Her long red-brown hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of her head, and a mask covered her face, shielding her features from the people she addressed. "My name is Seiki."

"Seiki..." Lucy murmured to herself. Something about that name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then her eyes widened in realization. "Seiki Matsumura."

Before anyone could say anything, Seiki turned and faced away from the group. "I must be going now. Perhaps our paths will cross again." and with that, she melted into the shadows of the woods, disappearing from sight.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu yelled, but he made no moves to pursue Seiki.

Clenching her teeth, Lucy removed a key from her keyring and sliced it through the air."Open, Gate of the Southern Cross: Crux!" she recited clearly. All eyes turned to her as a flash of silver light revealed Crux floating in front of her.

"Crux, please look up all information on Seiki Matsumura," she commanded. Crux nodded and began to search, entering what looked like a deep sleep. The group watched as Crux searched. It took a few minutes, but Crux awakened.

"I've found the information you seek," he announced. "Seiki Matsumura was raised in the guild Lamia Scale for five years before her mysterious disappearance. Not much is known about her, except that in this year she would be seventeen and she has a special kind of shadow magic. Details on such magic are unavailable to me, I'm afraid."

Lucy nodded. "Thank you, Crux," she said, and closed his Gate so that he disappeared in a flash of silver light alike to the first. She turned to her team. "Lamia Scale," she repeated. "Perhaps one of their members knows something about her?" she suggested.

All eyes turned to Gray, who glanced around in confusion. Then his face went white and he shook his head quickly. "Oh, no, I'm not calling Lyon," he said firmly, crossing his arms. "No way."

Lucy sighed. "Come on, Gray!" she pleaded. "He might be the answer to our questions! Plus, you know him best, right?"

Gray frowned and stood his ground. "You know we don't get along!" he insisted. "I don't care how much he knows, I'm not talking to him!"

Lucy pouted at him. "Fine, if you won't call him, then I will!" she stated stubbornly.

* * *

From the edge of a cliff, a lone figure sat, his back hunched over his knees as he stared down into the eternal darkness below him. He grinned, as if seeing things no one else could see. "Lucy Heartfilia, 17 years old," he murmured to himself. "She has quite the magical ability. Perhaps she could be the one…" he trailed off, pondering this in his head. He pulled a key-shaped object from his pocket and turned it over in his hand restlessly. "Let's see how you fare, and then make a decision."


	4. Enter The Tiger's Temple

**Hello friends! Welcome to chapter four of Seeker of the Blue Keys! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :3 Thanks to all of you who reviewed/followed/favorited this story. I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!**

**Bentears: Thanks!**

* * *

Lucy picked up her communication lacrima and tapped it so that it buzzed to life. "Connect me to Lyon Vastia," she commanded the crystal. The pale green lacrima went milky white for a moment, then cleared to reveal the pale face of Lyon staring back at her.

"Lucy Heartfilia?" Lyon said in surprise. "I didn't expect you to call."

Lucy smiled at Lyon. "I had a question for you, actually," she said, getting right to the point. "Do you know of a girl named Seiki Matsumura?"

Lyon frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "The girl who disappeared twelve years ago? I know of her, but I never knew her. I didn't join Lamia Scale until after her disappearance."

"Do you know anything about her? Her family, her magic, anything?"

Lyon shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know much about her. Master says they took Seiki in when she was left as an infant on the front porch of the guild. She had a talent for shadow magic, a kind of lesser known magic, but she didn't like to practice it. I guess you could say her magic was comparable to Rogue Cheney's dragon slaying magic."

Lucy frowned. "Well, thanks for the information," she said, though it really didn't answer her questions much.

"Why do you need to know about her anyway?" Lyon questioned. "That's an oddly specific topic." he paused and turned, as if glancing over Lucy's shoulder. "Is Gray there? Did he put you up to this?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes, Gray is with me. No, he didn't put me up to this. Thanks, bye!" Before Lyon could say anymore, Lucy tapped the lacrima three times and his face disappeared, leaving Lucy to stare at her own reflection. She sighed and tucked the crystal back in her bag.

"Nothing?" Natsu guessed. Lucy shook her head. "Well, we know that she uses shadow magic," she said. "With any luck, we won't have to deal with her again." Something inside her told her that wasn't true, however.

Yukino frowned slightly. "Well, if there's nothing else stopping us, we should get moving," she replied. "We still have a bit of a walk before we reach the temple." she began to walk, keeping close to Sting while Rogue hung in the back with Lector and Frosch. It seemed like Sting and Yukino were a lot... closer than they had been when Lucy last saw them.

Lucy let Yukino take the lead, walking between Natsu and Gray in hopes of keeping the peace. Erza was right behind her with Rogue, and Wendy and Carla were up in the front with the Sabertooth mages.

Gray leaned towards Lucy, an odd look on his face. "Is it just me, or are those two more friendly than usual?" he asked, pointing to where Sting and Yukino walked. there were so close that their shoulders brushed.

Lucy just shrugged. "Maybe they finally got together," she answered in a low voice, and a broad smile adorned her face, reminding Gray of the way Mirajane smiled when she was plotting something.

As if on cue, Sting leaned down and kissed Yukino lightly on the forehead, making the white-haired beauty blush. "Bingo!" Lucy whispered excitedly, bouncing a bit on her toes.

* * *

Lucy collapsed against the trunk of a tree, groaning loudly. "My feet are killing me!" she cried, pulling off her shoes to massage her aching feet. "Thank goodness we're done walking." The group of mages silently agreed as they too sat down to rest.

"We'll start setting up camp," Sting offered, retrieving the camping supplies from Yukino and Lucy. Lucy flashed the blonde a thankful look as she handed over the drawstring pouch and closed her eyes, sighing contentedly.

The sun was just beginning to disappear over the horizon. Lucy opened her eyes and gazed through the thin line of trees that barred their campsite from the river. She could see the temple's outline vaguely in the dimming sunlight, a small but regal presence.

"I'll help!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping to his feet and running over to where Sting and Rogue were starting to set up tents. Gray trailed after him, muttering something about keeping him in check as he picked up a bundle of plastic poles to pitch the tent with.

Lucy smiled as the guys began to set up camp and moved to where Yukino, Erza and Wendy had began to talk.

"What next?" Wendy asked. Carla sat in her lap, looking as annoyed as ever. "Do we need a plan before we go inside?"

Yukino thought for a moment. "Well, it's impossible to say exactly what we might find on Sonkei's temple. Chie and Kenshin don't know anything about the temple, but they did mention that Sonkei is fond of traps and puzzles. We can expect a few of those." she paused, glancing at Lucy. "The temple is made specifically so that only celestial spirit mages with a Seeker's blood can enter the room where the key is laid. Only you and I will be able to approach it," she added.

Lucy nodded. "I figured as much. These keys must be important if they're so heavily guarded," she said. "So we just walk into the temple and play it by ear?"

Yukino nodded. "You'll need a gate key to enter the temple," she said. "Any key should do it, gold or silver. Once you're inside, you'll feel Sonkei's magic. Even though she won't be present, she'll be watching you, testing you."

Lucy frowned; this caused a whole new group of worries to arise in her. What if Sonkei rejected her? What if Lucy wasn't found worthy? How would she complete her quest then?

Wendy touched Lucy's shoulder reassuringly. "You'll be great," she assured with a kind smile.

Lucy smiled at Wendy. "Thanks," she murmured, and covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "We should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," she said, pushing herself to her feet, even though her legs protested painfully.

She glanced at the campsite, where the guys were busy gathering wood for a fire. Natsu quickly set the wood ablaze and grinned at Lucy. "It's all ready!" he announced, gesturing to the two tents they had set up.

"We should set up a watch tonight, just in case," Erza suggested. "I can take the first shift."

Yukino nodded agreement. "Good idea. You can make someone else in a few hours to take the next shift," she agreed.

Lucy was already heading to the tents for sleep. She ducked into her tent and was pleased to see her sleeping bag and blanket already waiting for her. She quickly rolled them out so that the sleeping bag acted as a makeshift mattress and the blanket as a comforter. It wasn't a bed, but it was good enough. Lucy headed towards it gratefully, not bothering with food. She would eat plenty tomorrow korning. She sighed blissfully as she let the blanket cover her, snuggling into it as she closed her eyes, a smile on her face. It wasn't long before sleep overtook her.

* * *

When Lucy awoke again, it was still dark out. She blinked through sleep-heavy eyes and wondered why it was so hot under her blanket. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was warmer than usual. She turned her head to look on her other side and spotted a head of salmon-colored hair poking out from under her blanket. He had an arm wrapped around her waist, loosely but firmly, with his nose buried in her hair and a peaceful smile on his face.

It took all of Lucy's willpower not to scream. She would have expected this at her apartment back in Magnolia, but this was getting ridiculous. Lucy frowned disapprovingly at her partner.

Natsu moved slightly in his sleep, his nose brushing against the side of Lucy's neck. He murmured something incoherent under his breath, and Lucy's gaze softened. She couldn't help but smile at him; he was actually quite cute when he slept. Sighing in defeat, Lucy turned away from Natsu and closed her eyes again, content to let him sleep there tonight.

* * *

It seemed like only a second had passed before Lucy's eyes blinked open once more. She hummed softly and rolled over, a bit disappointed to see that Natsu was already awake. Someone must have woken him early to help with breakfast.

Lucy sat up and yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before standing fully and stretching. She felt refreshed from her sleep last night, though the thought that Natsu had been with her made her cheeks flush pink. She sighed and fixed her hair before walking outside, glancing around camp. Breakfast was set out on a blanket by the fire, and Natsu sat next to it, cross-legged, poking at it with a long stick. "Good Morning!" she called to him.

"'Morning," Natsu replied, but was interrupted by a large yawn. Apparently he hadn't slept as well as she had.

Lucy sat down next to Natsu. "You look tired," she commented. "How did you sleep last night?"

Natsu pouted, pulling a now flaming stick from the campfire. "Fine, until Snowcone made me take fourth watch last night," he replied bitterly. "It was still dark outside! I wanted to sleep more!" he complained.

Lucy giggled. "Well, Gray had to do the same thing," she pointed out. "Come on, let's get some food."

The thought of food seemed to cheer Natsu up a bit, and he followed Lucy to where the others were already eating, making pleasant conversation. Yukino had already finished, and was sitting with Erza, an open map in front of them. Lucy sat down and began to eat, and Natsu sat down beside her.

Gray snickered to Wendy and elbowed her lightly, whispering something Lucy couldn't make out. Wendy blushed and shoved him, crossing her arms and pouting at the ice mage, who simply laughed.

Natsu glanced up from his food, staring at Gray curiously. "Weirdos," he sighed, returning to his meal.

"What did he say?" Lucy asked, but Natsu just waved her off. "Just Iceface and Wendy being weird," he replied.

Gray turned his attention to Natsu, frowning and glaring at the dragon slayer. "What did you call be, Flame-brain?" he asked in a dangerously low tone.

Natsu glared back. "I called you Iceface! You got a problem with that?" he countered.

Lucy groaned helplessly as the two rivals erupted into a name-calling match. She finished her meal and stood up. "Why don't we get moving?" she suggested.

The two boys halted their fight and reluctantly agreed, and within fifteen minutes they were on the move again. The plan was to reach the temple early and have all day to go through it, as no one knew how long it would take to get through the temple.

Lucy crossed a path of ice Gray provided in order to cross the river and stared up at the temple before her. It was actually more of a shrine, a stone platform with stairs leading up to it and four pillars holding up the roof. In the center of the shrine was a stone pillar topped with a slab of square marble. A circle of water rested inside the square.

"Put a key in there," Yukino said, pointing to the water. Lucy unclipped a key at random, Gemini's key, and placed it in the circle of water, taking a step back.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Lucy was afraid the temple had already rejected her. Then there was a rumbling sound, and the ground behind the marble pedestal began to break away. The ground formed a spiral staircase leading downwards into a dimly lit area.

Lucy gulped and began to descend the stairs, her footsteps echoing as she left the daylight behind her. She could hear the steady sound of footsteps behind her, and the air turned stale and damp. Wendy nearly choked on the air before getting used to it, glancing around warily.

The staircase led straight downward several steps before opening into a large, empty cavern. The air was damp and it was hard to breath, and lucy could hardly see the ground in front of her, except what was illuminated by the miniscule light from the stairs.

Lucy squinted in the darkness, attempting to see what was beyond the stretch she could see, but to no avail. She glanced along the wall, spotting a torch hanging from the wall. A little ways down she could see another. "Natsu," she called. "Light these for me?"

Natsu was happy to oblige. He blew fire in a straight line, effectively lighting the torches in a line. An identical line of torches was revealed on the other side of the cave, which Natsu also set ablaze.

Lucy smiled and glanced across the floor to where an open door could be seen. She and her team were standing on a small strip of bare rock that stretched the width of the cave. In front of them, the floor broke into tiles, each one painted with a different symbol.

Lucy bent over to look at the tiles closer, then her eyes lit up. "These are the symbols of the Celestial Zodiac!" she exclaimed. "This one is Tauros, and the one next to it is Gemini."

Yukino bent down next to Lucy. "You're right," she murmured, and reached out, her fingers brushing over a tile depicting the sign for Capricorn. She drew her hand back as the ground rumbled slightly and the tile cracked down the middle, splitting in half and falling.

Lucy jumped back as the tile suddenly collapsed, her eyes wide. She peered into the hole below her and felt sick; she couldn't see the bottom, only murky blackness. She frowned, frustration showing in her eyes. "What do we do now?" she asked, to no one in particular.

Yukino frowned at the different tiles, then her expression brightened and she reached out again, touching the tile with the sign for Cancer on it. She waited for a moment, and when the tile didn't break or fall, she smiled. "It's the Cancer tiles. They're safe to walk on," she realized.

Wendy blinked up at Yukino in surprise. "How did you figure that out?" she exclaimed.

"Cancer is the counterpart of the Tiger," Yukino explained. She straightened up and tentatively took a step forward, testing her weight on the Cancer tile before stepping fully onto it. "It seems pretty sturdy," she commented, and stepped onto the next tile.

Lucy looked reluctant to follow, but Natsu was more than happy to jump onto the tile, Happy perched on his shoulder. "Come on, guys!" he called encouragingly. "It's not that hard!"

Lucy took a step forward finally, letting her foot rest on the Cancer tile before stepping forward. She shut her eyes tight, preparing for the fall she was sure would come, but when she opened then she saw that she was still standing. She sighed in relief and continued to walk, careful to keep on the correct tiles. She felt the tension in her body leave her when she finally stepped on the other side safely, where the rest of the group was waiting. Wendy followed her as the last to cross, Carla held firmly in her arms, and the small girl let out a sigh of relief when she finally finished the walk.

Gray grinned at Lucy. "Alright, everyone ready to go?" he asked, taking charge. He turned to the dark doorway, staring inside. It was impossible to tell what may be beyond. "Let's go!"


	5. Gate of the Tiger, Sonkei

**Hurray for five chapters! ;D I'll admit, this chapter is a little forced, but bare with me. This story will be slow starting, but I promise it will pick up. Anyway, I hope you all like this new chapter! Please read/review! Thanks to everyone that reviewed/followed/favorited! You guys give me motivation to write x3**

**Bentears: Thank you! I'm glad you like it, even though it's a little boring right now x3**

* * *

Lucy followed Gray down a long winding path that led from the last room they'd been in. For a short stretch, the path was pitch black, then it began to lighten again as they approached the next room.

Lucy squinted and brought a hand up to shield her eyes after being in the dark tunnel. Lucy blinked until she could see clearly again and glanced around the room. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The room seemed completely ordinary, just a solid floor.

Yukino came up beside Lucy. "We should be careful as we go through this room," she advised. "It could be dangerous."

Lucy nodded and took a step forward, shivering slightly. It almost felt as though the room were watching her. It was a different feeling than when she had first entered the temple. Yukino followed closely behind her.

Natsu stepped forward to follow Lucy, but instead he ran into what seemed to be a very solid brick wall, except it was invisible. "What the..." he muttered, tapping his palm on the barrier. He grimaced and pounded both fists on the barrier to no avail. "What's the big idea? Let me through!"

Gray scowled at Natsu. He touched the spot where Natsu was, finding the barrier there as well. "It's a wall, stupid," he said. "We can't get through."

Yukino's eyes widened in realization. "This is the holy barrier," she said, reaching out and touching Natsu's shoulder. she retracted her hand. "Only Celestial Mages can go beyond this point. The rest of you will have to stay here."

Erza nodded. "Very well. Good luck to both of you," she said.

Natsu growled. "You're just accepting this?" he yelled. "There must be some way past it!"

"It's hopeless." Rogue spoke up. "This barrier is a very complex and ancient magic. Not even an S-class mage could break it."

Sting nodded. "There's a barrier like this in every temple," he explained. "It's meant to keep out people who would try to steal the key."

Natsu didn't look happy, but he reluctantly backed away from the wall. "Lucy! You come back soon, got it!" he called.

Lucy looked surprised for a moment, then she smiled and waved. "I will!" she called back, and turned to Yukino. "Let's go," she said, and the two walked across the bare room towards the door at the end. Surprisingly, there were no traps, and the two made it safely to the other side, walking through the narrow doorway.

Lucy looked around as the doorway opened up into a third room. It was lit in a similar fashion to the last room, with glowing blue lacrima crystals sitting on posts in the walls. She hummed thoughtfully, taking a step forward.

Yukino walked across the small room to the far wall. "Lucy, look at this," she said, waving the blonde over. Lucy walked over to the white-haired girl and peered at the wall. Here were words engraved in the stone.

"It's a riddle," Yukino murmured. "It says, 'When you say my name, I no longer exist. What am I?'" she frowned at the writing. "I'm awful at riddles."

Lucy, on the other hand, was deep in thought. "Say my name and I no longer exist," she repeated. "The Game? No, there's no way that's right." she chuckled to herself and continued to think.

Yukino sighed and leaned her head on the wall. "Say my name and I no longer exist," she repeated, frowning. "Why do riddles have to be so cryptic?" she fell silent once more.

For Lucy, the silence was deafening. "Say my name and I no longer exist..." she murmured once more. "Say my name..." Yhen her eyes lit up. "Silence," she whispered.

Yukino glanced at Lucy curiously. "What was that?" she asked.

Lucy lifted her head. "Silence," she repeated clearly. "Say my name and I no longer exist. I am silence."

The words etched into the wall began to glow a light red color, and the ground rumbled, startling the two Keepers. Lucy took a step back, shielding her eyes as the glow became brighter. There was a loud crashing sound as a section of the wall broke into pieces and collapsed.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice echoed through the small room. "Are you okay?!"

Lucy let her hand drop to her side. "We're fine!" she called back, brushing her hair from her eyes. She nodded to Yukino, and the two mages walked through the now open passage, climbing over the pile of rubble left behind from the wall that had been there.

Lucy glanced around the room beyond the open door. It was mostly dark, but a faint blue light shone at the end. She walked towards it, feeling an odd tug in her, as if the strange light were pulling her towards it. Yukino followed closely behind her as they approached a small pedestal made of carved marble.

There sat the key. It was blue like the others Lucy had seen, covered in a glass case. Lucy lifted the case, revealing the key, which glowed faintly in the darkness. She glanced at Yukino, a worried look on her face, and the white-haired beauty nodded to her with a reassuring smile. Lucy reached out and curled her fingers around the key's handle. It flashed once, a bright gold light, then the blue glow disappeared, leaving the room dark, the only light being the dim light from the last room.

"Let's go," Yukino said quickly. "The others are waiting for us."

Lucy nodded and let Yukino take the lead, heading back to where her teammates were waiting for her.

Natsu glanced up as Lucy entered the room he was in. "Lucy!" he called, a wide smile on his face. No doubt he had been bored out of his mind while Lucy was gone.

"Did you get the key?" Erza asked, her no-nonsense personality showing through.

Lucy passed through the barrier keeping her teammates back, nodding. She held up the key. "Mission success," she said with a smile.

Sting grinned. "Great job," he said with a friendly wink. "Have you summoned her yet?"

Lucy shook her head, glancing down at the key. "Well, here goes," she said. She held up the key and brought her arm down gracefully, slicing the key through the air. "Open, gate of the Tiger: Sonkei!"

For a moment, the group of mages was blinded by the bright flash of light that came with the chanting. When the light died down, however, all eyes were on the girl in front of them. She was long-legged, with slightly tan skin and a flash of shaggy ginger hair that made her look wild. She had dark amber eyes they shone disapprovingly, and her slender arms were crossed over her chest. Dark stripes covered her arms, legs and face, and a long orange striped tail poked out of her jean shorts and hung nearly to her ankles. A pair of similarly patterned ears stuck out of the top of her head.

Sonkei turned and peered at Lucy. "You're the keeper of my key?" she asked in a gruff, no-nonsense voice that reminded Lucy of Erza.

Lucy nodded. "I'm a Seeker," she said for lack of anything else to say.

"I'm aware," Sonkei stated disinterestedly. She glanced down at Lucy, who was a few inches shorter than her. "Lucy Heartfilia, 17 years old, member of Fairy Tail." she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Sign of the Dog. Thoughtful and spontaneous. I like that." she gave a wry smile that managed to be kind and threatening at the same time. "Alright, I'll join you. You have my approval," she finished finally.

Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Glad that's over with, she thought. "Yuki mentioned that you're very smart," she said. "We were hoping you could tell us more about the problems with the Celestial Spirit World."

Sonkei raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm surprised Yuki said anything about me at all," she said with a slightly amused expression. "We don't always... see eye to eye." the Tiger shrugged, her eyes traveling over the large group of mages assembled. "This is quite the group you have going on. I assume some of you are with Seeker Yukino Aguria?"

"We are," Sting spoke for both him and Rogue. "The others are with Lucy."

Sonkei nodded in understanding. "Very well. I don't much like large groups, but I'll put up with it," she sighed, as if she was only barely able to grasp the idea. She leaned against the wall opposite the wizards. "I'll tell you what I know about the Spirit Realm. I assume you know the basic story?" she glanced at Lucy, who nodded.

"About Tora and the war?" she elaborated. "Yes, we know that. Do you know anything else?" she sat down next to Natsu and leaned forward, eager to make sense of the situation she had been thrown into.

Sonkei closed her eyes for a moment. "Not much," she admitted before opening her eyes again. "But there is a phrase that has been kept among the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac for centuries, ever since Lorelei first forged our gates. 'In the dark of the seventh, a golden light will reveal the key to the twenty-fifth.' The other spirits and I think that this prophecy has something to do with gathering the twenty-four keys and stabilizing our realm, but it could be something else as well. That's all I know on the subject."

Lucy frowned, but covered her disappointment with a fake-looking smile. "Thank you, Sonkei," she sighed. "You may return now."

Sonkei nodded and glanced at Natsu as a bright light enveloped her. "Take care of her, you hear?" she said sternly, and flashed a wicked grin at the pink-haired dragon slayer before returning to her own world.

Lucy sputtered, her face flushing and turning almost as pink as Natsu's hair. Natsu, however, looked quite confused, even more so when he saw Lucy's red face. His eyebrows furrowed in concern and he laid a hand on Lucy's forehead. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You're warm. Do you have a fever?"

"N-no!" Lucy replied immediately, stuttering over her words. Her face flushed even more and she looked down to hide her embarrassment. "Let's go!" she ssif quickly, standing before anyone could argue and speed-walking towards the stairs that would lead out of the stuffy hole they were in.

Lucy sighed contentedly as she finally escaped the temple. "Fresh air!" she sighed gleefully, taking a deep breath. The air in the temple was humid and stale, and the fresh air was a welcome relief. The others appeared at her sides not long after that.

Yukino smiled at Lucy. "Congratulations on retrieving your first key!" she said. "I'm afraid I'll have to go for now, but you can always call me on the lacrima if you need help."

Lucy looked a bit sad that Yukino had to leave, but she nodded in understanding. "Alright. I've been doing some research and I've decided to go after the key of the Dragon next," she said.

Yukino nodded agreement. "Alright, that sounds good," she conceded. "Good luck!" she gestured for Sting and Rogue to follow her, and Lector and Frosch kept close behind.

"Bye!" Lucy called after them. She turned to her teammates. "I've decided on the key of the Dragon next," she announced. "The temple is close by, only about a day's walk from here. We'll set up camp here tonight, and tomorrow we can walk to the temple. With any luck we should be able to get inside and retrieve the key before nightfall."

"Alright!" Natsu yelled, a broad, toothy grin on his face. "Let's do this!"

Gray rolled his eyes and mumbled something about Natsu being an idiot under his breath, shaking his head. Wendy chuckled at her friends and Lucy began setting up camp, pitching the tents.

It didn't take long before everyone was safely in the tents, ready to sleep. Lucy sighed contentedly, closing her eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Seiki Matsumura

**I'm so sorry it took so long to update this! I've been working on a few stories I want to publish after I finish the ones I'm working on now, and a one-shot as well, which should be finished soon. Sorry if this chapter isn't very good, though I love writing Seiki Matsumura's personality. She's my favorite OC. Thank to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's short, sorry ^^'**

**Bentears: Thank you for supporting my fanfiction! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Hopefully it gets even more exciting as it goes along.**

**UnitedOsprey1991: Actually, the way I've paired up the different keys is based on the personality aspects that come with each key. It doesn't have anything to do with the order of the Chinese zodiac or the months of the year, although that's how I found out Lucy was a Cancer.**

* * *

Lucy glanced down at the strange indentation curiously. The group of travelers had finally reached the temple of the Dragon, and the sun was beginning to set. A key-shaped indentation was marked in the center of the temple's shrine, which was similar to Sonkei's. "What do we do now?" she sighed in frustration, pulling out yet another of her keys to try and fit in the hole. It seemed like none of them fit. "I don't have the right shaped key!"

Natsu peered over Lucy's shoulder. "If they don't fit, make them fit!" he suggested, but Gray stepped in before Natsu could melt any of Lucy's keys. "Don't be an idiot!" he reprimanded. "If we don't have the right key to open the shrine, then we may as well move on."

"We shouldn't waste time here," Erza added from behind Gray. "There are plenty of other places we can try, Lucy."

Wendy sighed and hung her head slightly. "And we walked all day to get here," she complained wistfully. "Maybe the key is hidden somewhere nearby?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "That could be right," she answered, tapping her chin with her pointer finger. "We should split up and search the area. Gray and Wendy can go with Erza, and I'll go with Natsu." The group seemed in agreement, so they split up, Lucy and Natsu taking a worn-down old forest path.

"If I was a magic key, where would I hide?" Natsu muttered to himself.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You'll never find it thinking like that," she sighed in exasperation.

Natsu pouted and crossed his arms. "Well what do you suggest? Smelling for it?" then his eyes lit up and he started to sniff around the area.

Lucy resisted the urge to face-palm. Natsu could be such an idiot sometimes. She opened her mouth to retort when Natsu's body went stiff and he stared into the forest, an odd expression on his face. "Natsu...?" she murmured.

"Someone's coming this way," Natsu whispered. "Her scent is familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

Lucy touched Natsu's shoulder lightly and glanced into the forest until she saw someone emerge from the trees. Her breath hitched in her throat and for a minute she forgot how to breath. "Seiki... Matsumura?" she exclaimed.

The dark-haired girl looked up in surprise. She wasn't wearing her mask this time, revealing two amber eyes, one crossed with an x-shaped scar. She stared at the group curiously. "Y-Yes, that's my name…" she began softly. "Can I help you?"

A low growling noise emerged from Natsu's throat. "You bet you can!" he yelled angrily. "Who do you think you are, stalking us and then leaving like nothing happened?" he took a step forward, but Lucy grabbed his arm and tugged him back.

"Wait," she warned. "There's something different about her." she paused, examining Seiki closely. Aside from abandoning her mask, she wore her hair down and loose around her shoulders, and she seemed to cower a bit, as if she were timid.

Seiki fidgeted uncomfortably under Lucy's gaze, then something seemed to occur to her and her head snapped up. "Oh no," she murmured. "Don't tell me… Did I attack you?" her gaze flicked between the two teenagers, a worried look in her eyes.

Lucy exchanged a confused glance with Natsu, then looked back to Seiki, her mouth set in a stern line. "I think you have some explaining to do."

* * *

Seiki wrung her hands nervously as she sat before the campfire, surrounded by curious mages. She didn't like having so much attention on her, and she couldn't seem to sit still.

"When you saw us on the riverbank, you told us your name and then left. That was all that happened," Lucy explained to the frightened girl. "But there's something different about you now. Mind explaining this to us?"

Seiki bit her lip. "Alright, I'll tell you," she sighed. "But you may not believe me."

"Tell us anyway," Erza coaxed. "You won't know until you tell us."

Seiki took a shaky breath, and nodded. "Well, when I was a child, I lived at Lamia Scale," she began, and pulled up her shirt a bit to reveal the guild stamp on the left side of her stomach. "I was leaning a rare kind of magic called Shadow Manipulation. You could say it's a lost magic, not many people know how to use it. When I turned twelve, my magic started to grow, so much that it was difficult for me to control. We tried to use limiters, but they didn't work."

"A few days after my thirteenth birthday, I lost control of my magic for the first time. I… hurt someone. Someone close to me." she paused, staring down at her hands. "So I left. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want them to know. When I lost control, I became a totally different person. Someone with ac cold heart, who didn't want to see anyone. I got this," she gestured to the scar on her eye. "After one of the times I lost control. I don't remember how it happened." she paused and bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry if I caused you any misfortune!"

Wendy touched Seiki's shoulder lightly. "It's okay," she murmured. "No one got hurt, I promise."

Gray nodded. "Like Lucy said, all you did was tell us your name, and then you left," he added. Lucy flashed him a surprised glance; he didn't seem like the reassuring type.

Seiki let out a relieved sigh. "That's good," she murmured. "I'm glad." She stood up suddenly, brushing her hair from her face. "I should go now, people aren't safe around me."

"Wait!" Lucy stopped her before she could leave. "Please, don't go so quickly. You seem like a good person. You don't deserve to be on your own all the time." she stood up, and suddenly had an idea. "I know!" she said, pulling a key from her belt. "Sonkei is supposed to be knowledgeable. Maybe she knows something!" she waved the key in the air and summoned Sonkei.

"Yes?" Sonkei asked as the golden light surrounding her died. "What can I do for you, Lucy?" she placed one clawed hand on her hip, running the other through her shaggy orange hair.

Lucy gestured to Seiki. "This girl is suffering from a surplus of magic," she explained. "Is there any way to keep her magic under control?"

Sonkei turned to Seiki, looking her up and down. "Ah, yes," she murmured. "Seiki Matsumura, age 17, formerly affiliated with Lamia Scale. Shadow Manipulation magic, interesting choice." she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yes, very interesting," she murmured under her breath. "If it helps, I know the cause of your surplus of magic," she offered.

Seiki looked up at Sonkei, a hopeful look on her face. "What's causing it?" she asked.

"There's someone, how should I say… attached to you. The soul of someone you knew," Sonkei began. "I can sense that you two were very close, but there was… an accident. She died, but her soul became attached to yours. When you lose control, that's her feeding off of your magic and causing it to explode outwards. But there's something odd about this. The soul has the same name as you. Seiki Matsumura."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" she cried. "What are the odds of that happening?"

"I know who she is," Seiki interrupted, tears pricking her eyes. "Seiki… it isn't my real name. It was the name of the woman who taught me my magic." she sniffed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "My real name is Johanna Christley. When Seiki died, I started to use her name. I didn't want to forget her." she covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

Wendy stood up and rubbed Seiki's back comfortingly. She glanced at Sonkei, a concerned look in her eyes. "Is there any way to reverse the effects of the real Seiki's magic?" she asked.

Sonkei shook her head. "Not that I know of," she answered. "Sadly, that information is not part of my knowledge. Perhaps you will find an answer on your journey." she glanced at Lucy. "If that's all you wanted me for, I'll be returning to my world now." she nodded to Lucy and disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Lucy sighed. "Well, we found out the cause, at least," she said. "Now if we could only find the key to the shrine of the Dragon." she frowned. The sun was already far gone, and the night was dark, illuminated only by the moon.

Seiki had managed to calm herself down enough to speak, and regarded Lucy curiously. "A key?" she repeated. She reached into her pocket suddenly and produced a key-shaped stone. "I found this not far from here. Is this what you're looking for?" she held the stone out to Lucy, who took it eagerly and examined it.

"This looks like the right shape," she said, then turned to the shire behind her. She held the key to the indent on the stone and grinned excitedly before pressing the stone into the indentation. "It fits!" she exclaimed, jumping in excitement. She turned and grinned at Seiki. "Thank you!"

Seiki smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "All I did was pick up a cool-looking rock," she said in reply, though her eyes shone with a thirst for adventure. It had been far too long since she had been able to go on a mission with her guildmates, and she missed the feeling of adventure that accompanied being part of a guild.

"Now we can find the key of the Dragon," Lucy said. A staircase similar to the one from the Tiger's temple opened up , leading to a seemingly well-lit cavern underneath. "Seiki, you should come too! Let's go!"

Seiki's eyes widened in surprise, and while she wanted to refuse, she found the prospect of adventure too alluring. She grinned. "Alright, let's go!"


	7. Feeling of Foreboding

**Aaaaaargh. It's been a long week. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited! You guys are awesome! Reviews are my drug!**

**UnitedOsprey1991: Yeah, I think they'll get along x3 lol you're in for a treat.**

**Bentears: Thank you! It makes me feel good to know people think I write well! This chapter is longer, so enjoy!**

* * *

Natsu lit one hand on fire, lightning up the dark staircase as the six mages made their way into the Dragon's temple. He took the lead, Lucy close behind him, glancing around the narrow stairwell for any sign of danger. The mages' steps echoed dully in the darkness, and the sound of water dripping from the ceiling was their constant companion as they made their way silently down the dark, wet corridor.

Lucy shivered and rubbed her arms. "It's cold," she complained. "This is the dragon's temple. You'd think it would be warm." she breathed onto her hands, rubbing them together. Her breath was faintly visible in the cool air.

Gray shrugged while simultaneously shedding his white button-up shirt. "It's not cold in here," he replied.

"You're an ice mage, of course it's not," Natsu stated matter-of-factly. He glanced behind him with an annoyed expression. "For God's sake, put your shirt back on!"

Gray looked quite confused for a moment, then glanced down. "Shoot!" he muttered under his breath and quickly scooped his shirt off the ground. pulling it back on. He glared at Natsu. "Watch where you're walking!" he retorted.

Natsu turned around just in time to avoid running into a tall stone pillar. He froze and sighed loudly before making his way around, revealing a dimly lit room. The strangest part was that the room had no floor.

Wendy leaned over a bit to see into the crater that would have been the floor and glanced at Natsu. "A little light, please?" she asked, and Natsu obliged, blowing fire into the hole. Wendy squinted into the darkness. "I can't see a bottom," she announced. "I think we have a problem."

Erza frowned and picked up a loose stone, dropping it into the hole and listening. After a few seconds there was a dull crack as the stone struck the floor below. She looked up and glanced at Happy and Carla. "It's not too deep. Can you fly us down?" she asked.

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered enthusiastically. White wings materialized on his back and he grabbed onto the back of Erza's armor, lifting her off the ground.

Carla did the same with Wendy, grasping the back of her dress and swooping into the darkness after Happy.

Lucy peered down into the cavern expectantly as she waited for the exceeds to return. After a moment, Carla returned with Happy close behind. "It's dark down there," Carla commented as she lifted Lucy up and began to descend into the seemingly bottomless hole. It took a little while, but finally Lucy felt her feet bump against the hard ground. Happy dropped Seiki down beside her, and Natsu and Gray were close behind, landing on the ground with a thud and sending clouds of brown dust spraying up around them.

Lucy coughed and batted the dust away, squinting into the dark hole. The tunnel below the hole in the ceiling was perfectly round save it were a flat bottom. The ground was covered in a half-inch thick layer of brown dust that clung to her clothes as she stood. She made a sound of disgust as she took a step forward, brushing the dust from her clothes.

Natsu walked at Lucy's side, his fists set ablaze to provide a little light in the dreary cavern. "I can hardly see a thing," he commented, frowning.

Seiki hugged her arms, shivering. She wasn't cold, but there was a sense of foreboding following her, and she couldn't help but feel as though she didn't belong.

"Are you alright?" Wendy asked, jerking Seiki from her thoughts. The small bluenette stared up at Seiki, a hint of concern in her brown eyes.

Seiki gave Wendy a reassuring smile. "Fine," she answered. "Just a little chilly." she looked away, not wanting Wendy to know that she was lying. She glanced into the darkness ahead, and her eyes seemed to flash briefly with an odd light. "There's a wall up ahead," she said suddenly.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder and blinked at Seiki curiously before turning back to the path ahead of her, dimly lit by Natsu's flames. Sure enough, the path ahead came to an abrupt stop, revealing a flat, circular wall. Etched into the wall were what looked like ancient letters.

Gray ran his fingers over the engravings, his eyebrows furrowing and a frown on his face. "I've seen writing like this before," he murmured. "A long time ago."

"Can you read it?" Lucy asked, peering over Gray's shoulder to get a better look at the inscriptions.

Gray shook his head. "Ur could," he replied, his voice low and hinting at sadness. His mouth set into a disapproving line. "I bet Lyon can. That would be just like him," he added bitterly.

Natsu grinned and clapped Gray on the back, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Why don't you call him, then?" he taunted, knowing Gray's dislike of talking to his rival. "Or are you scared?"

Gray scowled threateningly, his eyes narrowing as he turned to face the salmon-haired boy. He hated to be insulted, especially by Natsu, and this time was no exception. "Is that a challenge, Pinky?" he growled.

"You bet it is, Stripper Queen!"

"Fine then!" Gray snapped. "Lucy, give me the lacrima." he held out his hand expectantly, not taking his eyes off of Natsu, who wore a smug look on his face. Lucy rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'stupid boys' under her breath while digging through her bag. She dropped the crystal into the raven-haired man's hand, crossing her arms.

Gray held the lacrima up and tapped it three times. "Lyon Vastia," he commanded, shooting a pointed glare to Natsu as he did. The surface of the crystal turned a milky white color and then cleared, revealing Lyon's annoyed face.

Lyon's expression instantly changed to mild shock when he spotted his brother-figure in the screen of his own lacrima. "Gray!" he exclaimed. "What do you want?" he made a point of making his words hostile, and Gray fought the urge to smash the crystal on the ground.

"We found something," Gray said, closing his eyes for a moment in an attempt to keep his anger under control. He turned the lacrima around so that Lyon could see the wall. "It's like the writing Ur taught us." He didn't mention the fact that he had despised language lessons and had been daydreaming through every session.

For a moment Lyon was confused, then his eyes widened and he leaned forward for a better look. "You're right," he murmured in awe. He narrowed his eyes at the strange letters. "Where did you find this?"

"No time," Gray replied. "Just read it."

Lyon rolled his eyes. "It says, 'Let the stars decide who stays and who goes.' It's almost like a riddle," he read.

Seiki gasped suddenly and covered her mouth with her hands. "This place…" she whispered, her voice quivering. "I know this place."

"Let the stars decide who stays and who goes," Lucy repeated the inscription reverently, taking a step forward and glancing over the circular stone. Her foot bumped against something solid and she glanced down to see a black stone that was raised above the layer of dust covering the floor. Upon further inspection, she could see that the stone was shaped like the hole in a lock, a circle with a rectangle protruding from it. "Guys, look at this!"

Erza pushed past Natsu and Gray, who had begun an argument over who was the strongest, and peered at the floor, then at the wall. She narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at a spot on the wall for a moment before pointing to it. "This picture here looks like a key," she commented.

Lucy glanced up, following Erza's finger to where the picture was. "You're right," she murmured. "What do you think it means?" she glanced at the picture curiously.

"Perhaps the key and this lock-shaped rock are connected?" Erza suggested. "There must be something here that can open this door."

Lucy frowned thoughtfully as she looked over the circular stone. "Maybe if you turn it?" she suggested, pressing her palms against the stone and attempting to roll the stone so that the key would be near the stone she was standing on. She gritted her teeth and pushed hard, but the stone refused to budge. She sighed and backed up, frowning at the stone.

"It's no use, it won't budge," she sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. She slumped down on the ground, crossing her arms. "What now?"

"Let me have a go!" Natsu answered, his fists flaming.

Lucy shot Natsu a glare. "Oh, no! You are not going to burn anything!" she argued, standing up again. "Who knows what might happen?"

Gray smacked the back of Natsu's head, frowning disapprovingly at him. "Lucy's right," he scolded. "You actually need to think in order for this to work. Think you can do something that simple?" he shot Natsu a glare that warded off arguing, but of course, that didn't stop the salmon-haired man from calling Gray a variety of colorful names. In the end, however, Natsu agreed to assist Gray and Erza in trying to move the heavy stone.

Natsu dug his fingers into the smooth surface of the rock, heaving to the side in an attempt to budge it. Gray and Erza joined in, pressing hard, and after a little while Erza called out, "I think it's moving!"

A bead of sweat formed on Natsu's forehead as the stone moved an inch, and he grinned victoriously. "Keep it up, you guys!" he called.

Gray opened his mouth to answer when the stone shifted suddenly, turning sharply in the direction they were pushing. He stumbled to avoid crashing into his teammates as he was suddenly thrown forward by the force of the movement. "The hell…?"

The three took a step back as the stone continued to turn until the key-shaped marking lined up with the lock-shaped rock in front of them. The rock glowed brightly, and Lucy had to shield her eyes against its intensity. The ground under her feet rumbled as the light grew brighter still. She could hear a chorus of calls from around her, but she couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. What's going on? she wondered, her mind whirling. What's this light, and this feeling… her thoughts were interrupted by a cracking noise, and she felt the rock underneath her crumbling.

Lucy's eyes widened as her mind comprehended what was happening; she was floor beneath her seemed to turn into dust, and she let out a scream as she fell. For a moment, all she could think was, 'I'm going to die,' but then she hit something soft. She gasped, the breath leaving her lungs, and at last she was able to think properly. She sat up, looking around. She was in another hallway, this one lit with bright lacrima torches, and she was laying on something large and soft.

"Lucy!" The blonde glanced up to see Natsu staring down at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lucy replied, still a bit dazed. "I landed on something soft!"

Natsu looked relieved. "I'm coming down there!" he called, but when he tried to go into the hole, it was like a sheet of glass was covering it, and he couldn't get through it. He blinked, surprised, then he grimaced and stomped on the barrier, irritated. "What the hell!" he cried in outrage.

Gray smirked. "So there's a barrier here, huh?" he said. "Just like at the other temple." he crossed his arms, putting one foot out to test the barrier, but backed up in surprise when he foot went through the hole effortlessly.

"Gray, can you get into the hole?" Wendy asked in surprise. She tested her foot on the surface, but it was blocked, like with Natsu. Erza's was the same. "Only Gray can get through…" she frowned, puzzled. "It seems the barrier chooses who can go on." she turned to where Seiki was standing, looking uncomfortable and anxious. "What about you, Seiki?"

Seiki blinked, then reluctantly stepped forward to test her foot on the barrier. Her foot slipped through, ripples dancing along the surface of the barrier. "It goes through," she said, wide-eyed."

Wendy smiled. "You and Gray should go with Lucy, then," she suggested. "She can use all the help she can get."

Seiki was stunned that these mages would allow her to accompany their friend when she was potentially dangerous, but something down in the hole beckoned her. It was like a string tied to her heart, urging her to go forward. "Alright," she agreed.

Gray bent over the hole. "Lucy! Me and Seiki are coming along!" he called before jumping into the hole, Seiki close behind him. He landed with a grunt on the soft cushion below him, and Seiki squealed as she sank into the plush material. Lucy was waiting for them beside the object, and the two mages struggled to dislodge themselves from it and joined Lucy on the outside.

"Be careful!" Erza called from the hole. "Come back soon."

"We'll be fine," Gray called back before turning to the two women he was accompanying. "Now what?" he asked, his gaze flicking to Lucy. "Do we just follow the tunnel until we find something?"

Seiki glanced down the tunnel in front of them. "I can feel something," she murmured softly. "It's calling to me. Perhaps it could be the answer to my problem."

Lucy turned to where Seiki was looking, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Well, we have no other leads. I say we go for it!"

Gray nodded agreement. "Keep your eyes out. You never know when something dangerous could be waiting around the corner," he said, taking the lead. He began to walk, glancing down the lit hall. Something inside him felt like this was the wrong way to go, but he pushed the feeling away. His friends seemed set, so his feeling couldn't be right, could it?


	8. Gate of the Dragon, Ikiru

**Chapter 8! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It was fun, and there was actually some action xD I hope you guys enjoyed this! I love hearing your kind reviews! As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited!**

**Bentears: Thanks for reviewing. Gray didn't speak up xP**

**UnitedOsprey1991: Actually, there's a different reason. Good guess, though!**

**Fairy Flame Key: Thanks! I appreciate you reviewing!**

* * *

Lucy sneezed as she made her way down the long hall, rubbing her arms. "It's freezing!" she complained, watching as her breaths hung in small clouds on the air. "I can see my breath, and there's ice on the walls! What's wrong with this spirit anyway!" she pouted and shivered.

Seiki giggled slightly at Lucy's annoyed expression. "It is strange," she agreed. "Normally a dragon would be associated with fire, right?"

Gray just shrugged. He pulled off his jacket and offered it to Lucy, who wrapped the thin cloth around her shoulders with a grateful look. "I wish Natsu were here," she sighed. "He's always warm."

Gray grinned teasingly at the blonde beside him. "Getting comfy with Natsu, eh?" he teased, elbowing her playfully. "I'll warn you," his voice dropped to a whisper. "He's not too bright."

Lucy blushed and shoved Gray's shoulder, frowning at him disapprovingly. "I am not 'getting comfy' with Natsu! We're partners and he's a great heater!" she argued, crossing her arms. "Besides, even if I was interested in him, which I'm not, he's way too dense to be able to see it!" she flipped her hair with purpose, tugging Gray's coat tighter around her shoulders.

"Let's finish this quickly so we can leave," Seiki offered. "The faster we get out of here, the better." at the moment, she was feeling quite conflicted; something deep in this temple was beckoning to her, drawing her in, but at the same time she felt like she should be running far away.

Lucy hummed as she rounded a corner. The air continued to grow colder the further in they went. "How long until it ends?" she wondered aloud. "We've been walking for ages!"

Gray nodded and reaches out to brush his fingers along the walls of the cave. "There's a strong magical residue down here," he commented. "It feels similar to ice magic, but also different. Like, it's nostalgic, but it also feels... strange. Almost wrong." he frowned thoughtfully. "Let's keep going," he added softly, sticking his hands in his pockets. "There's bound to be something nearby."

Lucy nodded agreement and continued down the hall. The ice on the walls gradually became thicker as they went on, even covering parts of the pathway in places. Lucy cursed fervently as she nearly fell on her face for a third time, bracing her arm against the wall for balance. "Stupid cave, stupid spirit," she mumbled aggressively. "Whose idea was it to come here again?"

"I recall that it was yours," Gray answered, smirking. Lucy grunted in response, but on the inside she was planning the murder of Lorelei Seeker. Damn her for ever creating Gate keys! Lucy muttered obscenities under her breath, her teeth chattering.

Seiki shook her head, a smile on her face. She turned a corner onto a short pathway. Ahead of them lay a room lit with sky blue lacrima, an elaborate pattern carved into the walls of the room. The floor was smooth and clean, and it shimmered like ice in the faint lacrima light.

"Pretty," Lucy breathed, admiring the room. She took a tentative step forward and immediately slipped, landing on her back with a loud scream.

Gray did his best to stifle his raucous laughter as he helped Lucy to her feet, which slid precariously on the smooth, wet ice. "Careful, it's slippery," he teased, walking along the slick surface with ease. Lucy silently cursed ice mages as she walked carefully after Gray, stumbling momentarily as she fought to stay on her feet.

Lucy huffed irritatedly and continued to struggle forward, slipping every once in a while as she fought to the other side of the room.

Seiki followed after, taking careful steps to avoid slipping on the slick ice. She glanced around the room, admiring the carved walls, which were decorated with intricately carved designs. They really were quite beautiful. Seiki smiled faintly and continued forward until she reached the edge of the room, where the ice stopped and solid ground was felt underneath her feet.

Lucy sighed in relief. "Thank God that's over," she murmured. "I don't care how cold it is anymore, as long as I don't have to walk on more ice."

Seiki smiled at Lucy and glanced down the long hallway. "We're close," she said suddenly. "I can sense the magic's origin." she pointed down the dark hall. "I think the key is down there." she stepped forward, a strange feeling coming over her, as if she was coated with something that weighed her down. She blinked, confused, and shook off the feeling, glancing behind her. Her friends seemed unaffected. Giving a nearly invisible shrug, she began to walk down the hall.

Lucy rubbed her shoulders to warm them up. "Good, let's go," she replied through chattering teeth, setting a brisk pace down the dark hallway.

Gray frowned slightly, but followed after Lucy, looking around him curiously. Seiki walked beside him, casting a worried glance his way. "You felt it too, didn't you?" she whispered. The raven-haired man nodded.

"Something here is very wrong," he whispered in reply. "We should keep our eyes peeled for anything strange."

Seiki nodded agreement. "I don't think Lucy felt anything," she commented. "She didn't mention it, anyway." she frowned, rubbing one arm. She wasn't cold, but she still felt shivers. "It almost feels like the magic here is contaminated. It's not quite how it's supposed to be."

Gray pressed his lips together so that they formed a thin line. "Whatever's going on here, Ur knew about it," he said, an air of certainty in his voice. "I don't think Lyon did, though. What's going on?" The last sentence was more to himself, and Seiki tore her eyes away, glancing down at her feet. She bit her lip, her uneasiness growing. Whatever was going in, it was definitely not good.

"Hey, slackers!" Lucy yelled, glaring behind her at where Gray and Seiki were engaged in whispered conversation. "Hurry up, will you? I want to get out of here!" she waited for them to catch up, her foot tapping impatiently as she tugged Gray's jacket around her shoulders. She pointed to where the hallway ended, a stone pedestal set up in the center of a somewhat large circular room. "Come on, there's the key!"

Lucy led the group into the room, but as soon as they stepped through the doorway, Lucy stopped cold. "Something's wrong," she murmured, her voice wavering with concern and a hint of fear. She shook her head. "Let's hurry. I don't like it here."

Gray and Seiki exchanged a glance before Gray nodded. "We'll back you up," he said, and Lucy flashed him a grateful look before approaching the pedestal. she glanced down at the stone, where the blue key sat, waiting for her. She reached out to grab it, but before she could touch it there was a loud crash and a wave of air pushed her off her feet. Lucy screamed as she was blown back a few feet, her arms flying up to protect her face.

"Lucy!" Gray exclaimed, lunging forward and catching his teammate before any harm could come to her. "You okay?" he asked worriedly as he steadied her.

Lucy nodded dumbly. She was dazed, but unharmed. Her attention was drawn by a loud growling sound from behind the stone pedestal. Lucy lifted her gaze to see a wolf-like creature, easily eight feet tall and twelve feet long, its lips drawn back in a threatening snarl. It curled around the pedestal protectively, its long tail flicking.

"What the hell is that thing?" Gray exclaimed, taking a step back.

Seiki frowned. "It's protecting the key," she replied. "It's probably here to keep people from stealing it."

Lucy bit her lip. "How do we get it to leave?" she asked, glancing at her friends.

Seiki glanced around the room thoughtfully. The wolf didn't seem like it was going to make a move to attack, it just stood, ready to protect its treasure. "Maybe I could restrain it?" she thought aloud. If she used only a small portion of her magic, she could control it. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing, and dark tendrils began to rise from the shadows at the back of the room, snaking their way stealthily along the floor. Seiki's eyes snapped open and the tendrils shot forward, wrapping themselves around the creatures hind legs.

Seiki gasped suddenly and doubled over, the magic shadows dissipating. Lucy glanced at her friend in concern. "Seiki! Are you okay?" she called, touching the girl lightly on the shoulder.

Seiki trembled for a moment and then let out a long breath. "I'm alright," she murmured softly. "My magic… it reacted to that thing. It hurt…" she shook her head, taking a shaky breath. "I'll be fine. I just need rest," she said quickly.

Lucy clenched her teeth and glanced at where the creature was still sitting, unmoving, its dark eyes trained on her. "Get back," he said, waving her hand for them to retreat. "I have an idea, but I need you both to leave."

"Lucy," Gray began, but the blonde cut him off. "Just to around the corner. I promise I'll be fine." she glanced at him quickly, shooing him away. "Go!" she commanded.

Gray still looked reluctant, but he helped Seiki to her feet and headed to the entrance of the room, glancing back once before heading through the narrow doorway. As soon as he was safely on the other side, there was a rumbling and a wall of rock extended from the floor of the doorway, sealing off the entrance. "What the-" Gray yelled in outrage, but no matter how hard he tried, the door refused to budge. He was locked out, or rather, Lucy was locked in.

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath as she stared at the monstrous creature in front of her. Her hand went to her hip, feeling the contours of her keys under her shirt. It was a long shot, but maybe… She pulled a key from her belt, raising it before slicing it through the air. "Open, Gate of the Dog: Yuki!"

A burst of sky blue light allowed the dog spirit to appear. "What can I do for you, Lucy?" she asked, glancing around. "Ah, the Dragon's temple." she let her eyes wander towards the pedestal where the key was laid, and she arched an eyebrow at the creature protecting it. "That's new," she commented.

"Can you help me?" Lucy asked. "I don't think that wolf will agree to me trying to take the key from it."

Yuki nodded. "Yes, I can help, but this worries me," she replied. "I've never seen one of these before. what's it doing at the temple? I don't remember anyone placing it here for protection. We usually just use riddles." she frowned and tapped her chin. "I can sense odd magic at work here as well. It's cold in here, too cold."

"There was ice on the walls the whole way here," Lucy said with a frown. "What do we do?"

Yuki lifted one hand, an orb of blue light forming in her palm. "I can trap it, but it won't stay trapped for long. You have about three seconds to run in there and get the key. Once you do the wolf should disappear."

"Should?" Lucy repeated. "That doesn't make me feel better!"

Yuki gave her a reassuring smile. "If it doesn't disappear, it will stop targeting you," she said. "Quickly now. One, two, three!" thrusting both palms in front of her, Yuki narrowed her eyes. A wind picked up around her immediately, throwing her hair back and kicking up the dust in the room. There was a bright flash of light and a loud howl, and when Lucy looked up she saw that the wolf was encased completely in ice. "Go now!" Yuki cried.

Lucy took off, heading straight for the pedestal. She was hardly halfway there when she heard a loud crack and then shattering. The ground was sprayed with shards of ice, and a second howl accompanied the wolf's freedom. Lucy dove for the pedestal as the ground beneath her shook and swayed, the entire place trembling, the air thick with rage. She groped around the top of the pedestal for a moment before she managed to wrap her fingers around the key's handle, yanking it from its resting place.

Then, all at once, silence. Lucy collapsed on the floor, breathing hard, feeling as though all her energy had been sapped. She clutched the key in her hand so hard that her knuckles turned white, and she didn't move until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing up she saw Yuki smiling down at her.

"Well done," she said. "I have to return to the Spirit Realm for now, but call on me whenever you need help." with those words, she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

For a long moment, Lucy just laid on the dusty floor, unable to think clearly. Finally, when her heartbeat had slowed some, she pushed herself to her feet. In front of her, the doorway trembled and then the rock blocking it fell away.

"Lucy!" Gray yelled, rushing towards her. He helped her to her feet, inwardly worried, though he tried his best not to show it on the outside.

"Did you get the key?" Seiki asked, coming up behind her. Lucy grinned and held the key out, its blue surface flashing in the dim light of the now empty chamber. "Five down, seven to go."


End file.
